5 Gangsters Try To Stage Escape From French Jail

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October 6, 1991

MARSEILLE, FRANCE — Five top gangsters, including a man considered one of France's most dangerous prisoners, tried to escape from a Marseille prison by helicopter Saturday but were left behind when guards opened fire. Police said 27-year-old Andre Fischer, an explosives expert serving time for armed robbery and hostage-taking, was among the convicts waiting to escape. Police later found the helicopter at a nearby stadium. The pilot told police he had been forced at gunpoint to fly to the prison from a flying club in a nearby town.